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DeWitt goes deep in Dodgers' loss

DeWitt goes deep in Dodgers' loss

By Steve Gilbert
/
MLB.com |

D-BACKS 7, DODGERS 3at Tucson, Ariz.Saturday, March 13

Dodgers at the plate: Blake DeWitt was the offensive star for the Dodgers as he hit a three-run homer in the third inning. It was the first hit of the game for the Dodgers and it scored Andrew Lambo and Ivan DeJesus, who had both walked.

D-backs at the plate: Two players battling for the final spot on the Arizona bench both had good days. Tony Abreu started at shortstop and smacked a two-run triple to left-center in the fifth that scored Evan Frey and Rusty Ryal. Speaking of Ryal, he hit his second home run of the spring in the sixth inning, a solo shot. Brandon Allen also homered in the seventh. Conor Jackson reached base his first two times up, doubling in the first and being hit with a pitch in the third.

Dodgers on the mound: Chad Billingsley went three scoreless innings in his second start of the spring. The right-hander pitched his way into and out of trouble in the second. With the bases loaded and one out, he got Augie Ojeda to line into an inning-ending double play. Scott Elbert, the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year last year, struggled with his command. The lefty walked four and allowed three runs on two hits in 1 1/3 innings.

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D-backs on the mound: Walks hurt starter Kevin Mulvey. The right-hander allowed just one hit -- a homer by DeWitt, but it was a three-run shot thanks to a pair of walks preceding it. Mulvey, who is battling for a spot in the rotation, walked three and fanned four in his three innings. Closer Chad Qualls continues to look fully recovered from last year's gruesome knee injury as he tossed a scoreless inning for the third straight appearance.

Worth noting: The game was a sellout with a crowd of 11,571, the first sellout at Tucson Electric Park since March 15, 2009, when the D-backs hosted to the Cubs.

Cactus League records: Dodgers 2-5-1; D-backs 4-5-1

Up next: The Dodgers return to Camelback Ranch on Sunday to take on the Rangers, with Hiroki Kuroda set for his second start in a game in which Garret Anderson is expected to make his Dodgers debut, possibly at his new position of first base. Anderson could also have a reunion with Texas DH Vladimir Guerrero, his teammate with the Angels from 2004-08.

The D-backs will play split-squad games Sunday, one of which will be the club's annual game in Hermosillo, Mexico. In that game, the D-backs will send Rodrigo Lopez to the mound. In the other game, Billy Buckner, the leading candidate for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, will get the start against the Rangers in Surprise, Ariz.

Steve Gilbert is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.